'Monsterpocalypse' Movie Has Studios in Bidding War (Exclusive)

'Monsterpocalypse' is a board game that pits humans in robot suits against monsters. Fede Alvarez is attached to direct and co-write the project.

Hollywood is hoping that Monsterpocalypse, the board game from Privateer Press, is the next big franchise.

A bidding war is underway to acquire the movie rights to the game with a package that includes filmmaker Fede Alvarez, who directed 2013’s Evil Dead remake, to helm the project and pen the screenplay with his writing partner Rodo Sayagues.

Warner Bros., DreamWorks and Sony are in on the action, according to sources, who also say a fourth studio may be joining the fray.

Monsterpocalypse is a board game that pits humans in robot suits against monsters. An adaptation was previously attempted around 2010 with a package that included Tim Burton as director and John August as screenwriter. It stalled in development after Guillermo del Toro made his own humans-in-robot-suits-against-monsters pic, 2013’s Pacific Rim.

Sources say that the new package has a take that is substantially different from the previous iteration, let alone Pacific Rim, although the core concept — humans versus monsters — remains.

A deal could happen as early as the end of the week, but don't count the monsters until their hatched.

Alvarez is a fitful choice for the material as he has shown a passion for not only monsters and horror but robots as well. His breakthrough debut was the popular short Panic Attack!, which featured giant robots attacking the South American city of Montevideo.